"Somewhat" is such a wonderful qualifier. Leave off the icing, halve the cookie's size, or better yet eat cookies less often, and you have a somewhat healthier cookie. But this cult of whole grains (yes, Katherine, I'm still harping on whole grains) has gone too far. I'm sure, all things being equal, whole grains have some kind of advantage over Wonder Bread, if only taste-wise, but what has this country come to when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is mentioned alongside whole grain Chips Ahoy? And do we really need tastier cookies?

In a taste test of the new Chips Ahoy version and the original, The New York Times Dining section gave the whole-grain cookies a thumbs-up. While testers said that the texture was more akin to an oatmeal cookie than a chocolate chip cookie, they said it was an overall "better-tasting cookie," with a "toasty and nutty flavor."

Seems nutritionists worry that, as with low-fat cookies, people will now eat the supposedly healthy but still-high-calorie whole grain cookies by the truck-load. But I'd say there's more of a concern here, because low-fat cookies are what foodies call narsty, whereas a non-low-fat combination of whole grains and chocolate might be less so.

Book forthcoming!

In Spring 2017, my first book (of many, no doubt, if I disable Netflix) will be appearing, with St. Martin's Press. Its working title is The Perils of Privilege. For a taste of what's to come, try the "YPIS" tag here.